Victoria’s Secret models are considered some of the most gorgeous women on the planet. Over the years several catwalk crawlers have earned their Angel wings and walked the runway of the lingerie company’s annual fashion show. Who are some of the most beloved Victoria’s Secret models of all time and what does it take for them to stay in shape? Celebwell rounded up 12 amazing bodies of former Angels and their top diet and fitness habits.
“I used to hate my body, and I thought I was really ugly,” Taylor told Byrdie. “I was so not confident, and becoming a model—and especially a VS girl—has changed my perspective on who I am. It’s kind of given me a new light: You’re beautiful no matter what you look like, no matter what body type you have. I always envied curvy women because I wasn’t that. The grass is always greener, and you’ll always have to deal with that. But being a model has helped me embrace my body type. It’s hard on some girls, but it actually helped me a lot.”
Taylor mixes up her workouts. “I do mainly light weight-lifting and squats when I’m in the gym. My favorite place is Dogpound in NYC,” Taylor revealed to Harper’s Bazaar about her sweat sessions. “But I also do some yoga, pilates and crossfit. It’s important to switch things up so that your body doesn’t get too used to anything.”
“I actually don’t stick to any diets, but I eat everything in moderation. Plus, exercising regularly is very important,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. Hr favorite meals? “When I’m in Paris, I always have Japanese udon. And pizzas in New York. I also love spaghetti, and basically everything when I’m in Italy.”
In her recent post, Taylor shows off the latest book she is reading. One Harvard study published in Social Science & Medicine found that people who read books regularly had a 20% lower risk of dying over the next 12 years compared with people who weren’t readers or who read periodicals.
Taylor enlists the help of a personal trainer to achieve her goals. “I have to use a trainer because I cheat in classes,” she told Byrdie. “I’m a natural-born cheater. I cheat on everything—I cheated on tests (don’t tell my teachers), I cheat workouts, I eat whatever I want! So I just needed someone to watch me and make sure I’m doing it correctly. When I have an hour, I want to give everything I have to that hour, like, really work out.”
Sara likes an amped up version of pilates. “I’ve been doing a lot of SLT. It’s like a really intense Pilates with a machine. I’ve noticed with my body that small movements have done more for my body than the boot camps. My body moves better when it’s very focused on small movements that elongate your body and your muscles,” she told The Cut. “I tried SLT for the first time five or six years ago when I first got to New York. It was really hard, it was too hard. Then I was training for the Victoria’s Secret show last year and gave it another try. I really liked it, it was not as hard. I think they had changed it a little bit. I could actually go through a whole class without feeling like I was going to break down.”
Shanina relies on personal trainers to keep her in runway model form. “I have a few favorite trainers whom I’ve enjoyed following over some time now, including Melissa Wood, Megan Roup of Sculpt Society, and Shannon Nadj of Hot Pilates. It’s extremely motivating to follow their workouts, even from the comfort of home. I usually gravitate toward workouts that incorporate a lot of Pilates. My favorite moves are making small circles and stretching your legs with ankle bands. Lastly, I like to use a resistance band, pointing your feet and pulsing up and down; it’s great for the inner and outer thighs,” Shanina revealed to Hum Nutrition.
Kelsey works out not once, but twice a day. “The past few months I’ve been working out everyday—and sometimes twice a day. This past week I did pilates, if I feel good then I’ll do 30 minutes of cardio. I always make sure to put cardio in my workouts. I’ll do SoulCycle, then I’ll go on the treadmill. I will do strength training with a personal trainer at Dogpound,” she told Elle.
Jasmine fuels her workouts with food. “I love to eat tons of food with lots of carbs. I balance it with working out. But generally, I try to be very clean and eat healthy, and always have a lot of protein. I do have a lot of cheat days. I feel like you should be able to eat what you want,” she told The Cut. One of her cheat meals? “I love to have hot wings and French fries,” she said.
Hailey eats as plant-based as possible, because it makes her feel good.”I tried a plant-based diet for two months during quarantine,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I felt great and I had a lot of energy, but it was not for me. I don’t eat a strictly plant-based diet and I do still eat meat. I just don’t eat a lot of it. I’ve picked up more fish, greens, and lentils.” Her diet involves “a lot of vegetables and fish, not much meat, minimal dairy,” she told Byrdie. “I just feel better when I eat that way.”
Alessandra used to go to extremes to stay in shape, but avoids dieting now. “After having Anja I only had three months to lose all the weight [before doing the 2008 Victoria’s Secret show] and I was on this 1,200-calorie-a-day meal-delivery service that I hated. I couldn’t do that again,” she told The Edit. “Whenever I start to diet, everything goes downhill,” she added. “So if I want a little bite of dark chocolate on a plane or a cocktail with friends on the weekend, I’ll have it. In fact, I’ll drink a glass of red wine with dinner most nights, and two or three times a week I’ll have a cup of tea and a cupcake with Anja, who’s as obsessed with red velvet as I am.”
Candice focuses on upholding a balanced lifestyle. “It’s being happy and healthy. I don’t like restrict myself from certain foods that I want, or kill myself at the gym. It’s really what’s comfortable for my body at the time and what’s best at that moment,” she told The Cut.
Kelly tries to exercise daily. “Usually on my days off, and sometimes before going to set – I end up heading to pilates, boxing or jump rope and when that gets boring, I go rock climbing with friends or find some other activity we can tackle,” she revealed to V Magazine, adding to Grazia that she works out “for a few hours” and does “a lot” of walking. She also eats clean.”My diet generally consists of fresh, organic produce (all veggies, nuts, seafood, occasional eggs and lots of raw vegan dark chocolate) and superfoods everyday such as chlorella and spirulina. If I ever need an immune booster I have tons of ginger, tumeric and baobab,” she said. It “takes a while to get used to healthier foods if you’re used to eating crap, or if you have been brought up eating a certain kind of way,” she admitted. “To me, almost everything clean and healthy taste good and you can always play around and make it taste even better.” Another way she sets herself up for healthy eating success is preparation. “When I’m traveling, I always bring a big variety of healthy snacks and superfoods – usually opting for vegetables and fish or seafood when ordering food or on set.”
Izabel drinks a lot of juices. “The first thing I do in the morning is prepare fresh juice. I have 15 different recipes, which I drink for 15 days consecutively. Then I repeat the recipes from the beginning for the next 15 days of the month. My juices include fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, and even grains. After a workout, I have a protein drink and always keep a protein bar in my bag,” she told Vogue.
Miranda relies on lemon water to keep her digestive system working. “Hot water with lemon to start the day, it’s really good and it stimulates the digestive systems,” she told Elle UK. After downing that, she moves on to another trendy beverage. “And then after that I have my cold-pressed green juice every day. And it has like kale, spinach, cucumber, celery.”
Doutzen dances her way to a hot body. Her favorite workout is Ballet Beautiful with Mary Helen Bowers, which she takes three times a week. “It keeps everything tight. I’ve worked out with her for two years and I really like the results,” she told Vogue. “I used to always box and run, and with boxing, I would build a lot of muscle. After I had my son [Phyllon, age 3½], I started doing ballet. It makes you long and lean—it’s like the Pilates look.”